Beware Of Liquid Calories

By now, you’ve probably heard the term “empty calories”. What are they? Why are they so bad for you? How can you avoid them?

Empty Calories =
High Calories but Low in Nutritional Values



In other words, these are calories that enter your body and provide no useful purpose other than increasing body fat.



Here are a few examples of “empty calorie” foods: chips; candy; French fries; all other deep-fried foods; sweetened packaged foods; refined grains such as crackers, cookies, pastries, white rice, white pasta; alcoholic beverages; etc.



But the major culprit of “empty calories” are in liquid form—soda, bottled iced teas, flavored waters, artificial fruit juices, energy drinks, etc.



So before you reach for that next drink out of the vending machine or convenience store cooler, think again, you may be stifling your fitness efforts.



Here are a few of the “20 Worst Drinks in America 2010,” according to Men’s Health magazine:



#20. Worst Water: Snapple Agave Melon Antioxidant Water

(1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

150 calories, 0g fat, 33g sugars. Sugar equivalent to 2 Good Humor Chocolate Éclair Bars.



#19. Worst Bottled Tea: SoBe Green Tea

(1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

240 calories, 0g fat, 61g sugars. Sugar equivalent to 4 slices of Sara Lee Cherry Pie...Don’t be fooled, most bottled teas are made of two primary ingredients: water and sugar.



#18. Worst Energy Drink: Rockstar Energy Drink

(1 can, 16 fl oz)

280 calories, 0g fat, 62g sugars. Sugar equivalent to 6 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnuts.

#16. Worst Soda: Sunkist


(1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

320 calories, 0g fat, 84g sugars. Sugar equivalent to 6 Breyers Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches. While all sodas get 100 percent of their calories from sugar, some are still worse than others. Fruity sodas tend to carry more sugar than regular colas. Orange soda relies on artificial colors yellow 6 and red 40 - two chemicals that may be linked to behavioral and concentration problems in children.



#14. Worst Kids Drink: Tropicana Tropical Fruit Fury Twister

(1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

340 calories, 0g fat, 60g sugars. Sugar equivalent to two 7-ounce canisters of Reddi-Wip. Don’t be fooled...the Twister line of ‘fruit juices’ have 10 percent juice and 90 percent sugar with artificial flavors and coloring.



#11. Worst Espresso Drink: Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream

(venti, 20 fl oz)

660 calories, 22g fat (15g saturated), 95g sugars. Sugar equivalent to 8 and half scoops of Edy’s Slow Churned Rich and Creamy Coffee Ice Cream...and more calories and saturated fat than two slices of deep-dish sausage and pepperoni pizza from Domino’s.



Okay, I’m going to stop there. Do you see a pattern here? Lots of calories and loads of sugar.



Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that it’s not uncommon for the average American to consume 800 calories or more per day through drinks along.



If you drink 2-3 of these “empty calorie” drinks every day, that’s up to 5600 calories per week or over 1-1/2 pounds of fat per week.



Extra weight isn't the only problem associated with drinking empty calories, consuming too many calories—especially empty calories—can lead to a variety of conditions: coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, not to mention tooth decay from the sugars.



Your best bet, stick with water. But if you must, check the label. Go for diet soda instead of regular; use low-calorie sweeteners/creamers in your coffee; look for low sugar content in flavored waters; etc.